# New video (hip-hop) from Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2018, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811 "2018-05-08T11:57:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/121 "2018-05-14T01:18:52Z")
nm bbl ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/122 "2018-05-14T01:30:46Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Like, are country music artists telling people to wake up to the problems infecting rural America (addiction, mental illness, gun violence, etc.)? Is there a contemporary country song with a message like the Root’s [“It Ain’t Fair”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uXV62u9odY)? I’m not a consumer of this genre, so I wouldn’t know. So, I’m following this thread with great interest, because this video really hit me hard. But I’m not contributing, because most of my relevant knowledge consists of Troy and Abed in the Morning, and that ain’t relevant. But here? Maybe I can answer: plenty of country singers deal with real-world issues. The one that comes to mind first is admittedly a couple decades old, but that’s probably because I’m an old fogey who rarely listens to new music. The example is [Willie Nelson’s “Heartland”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7IFYd6UOe4), with lyrics like: > [@Willie Nelson](#): > > There’s a home place under fire tonight in the heartland > And the bankers are taking my home and my land from me > There’s a big achin’ hole in my chest now where my heart was > And a hole in the sky where God used to be > There’s a home place under fire tonight in the heartland > There’s a well where the water’s so bitter nobody can drink > Ain’t no way to get high and my mouth is so dry that I can’t speak > Don’t they know that I’m dyin’ why’s nobody cryin’ for me > My American dream fell apart at the seams > You tell me what it means you tell me what it means Maybe someone else can address what’s going on in country music from this millennium; but a lot of the country I’ve listened to is in Nelson’s vein, not exactly subtle. Edit [Here’s a link with some more socially-conscious country songs](http://www.wideopencountry.com/10-country-songs-call-social-issues-today/), including of course another Willie Nelson number :). ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/123 "2018-05-14T01:32:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes, why it didn’t connect when I read it, I don’t know. I swear, I actually do try to keep on top of pop culture and am not one of those people who take pride in having no idea what is going on in that universe. For what it’s worth, the video has plenty of Abed. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/124 "2018-05-14T02:05:29Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The fantasies that hip hop sells are not ubiquitous. There is no analogue in heavy metal for the guns-bitches-money that is so prominent in hip hop. [I don’t](http://www.westword.com/music/the-stereotypes-of-violence-in-metal-5707689) [know how](http://theconversation.com/death-metal-is-often-violent-and-misogynist-yet-it-brings-joy-and-empowerment-to-fans-91909) [you can](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/04/metal-band-loses-chicago-gig-over-excessive-use-guns-and-violent-imagery.html) [seriously](http://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/festivals/37-outrageous-stories-about-mtley-cre-b99296502z1-265704851.html) [say this](https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/rb8bnd/death-metal-misogyny). (At any rate, I asked about popular music. Metal hasn’t been popular for quite awhile now.) > [@](#): > > In any case, tho, that hardly matters since we’re talking about this Childish Gambino video. Right? I _am_ talking about the Gambino video. I’m just looking at it from a broader perspective than perhaps you care to look at it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/125 "2018-05-14T02:27:19Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > [I don’t](http://www.westword.com/music/the-stereotypes-of-violence-in-metal-5707689) [know how](http://theconversation.com/death-metal-is-often-violent-and-misogynist-yet-it-brings-joy-and-empowerment-to-fans-91909) [you can](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/04/metal-band-loses-chicago-gig-over-excessive-use-guns-and-violent-imagery.html) [seriously](http://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/festivals/37-outrageous-stories-about-mtley-cre-b99296502z1-265704851.html) [say this](https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/rb8bnd/death-metal-misogyny). > > (At any rate, I asked about popular music. Metal hasn’t been popular for quite awhile now.) > > I _am_ talking about the Gambino video. I’m just looking at it from a broader perspective than perhaps you care to look at it. Ah, I see. Good luck with that attitude. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/126 "2018-05-14T02:35:06Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > The song doesn’t paint a grotesque picture of hip hop. It paints a grotesque picture of America. IMHO. It ain’t just hip hop kids watching on the sidelines through their cellphone cameras (or flinging themselves off railings while no one notices). It’s all American kids. This is also my impression of the song & video. It’s an indictment on America, and especially the blind eye America has on racism. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/127 "2018-05-14T02:46:18Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Ah, I see. > > Good luck with that attitude. I’m just sitting here talking about a song. I don’t know how much good luck I need to do that. But I’ll pretend you’re not being a dick and thank you anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/128 "2018-05-14T03:12:49Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I really love his mixtape (album) “Culdesac”. I think it’s very accessible. You can download it free here: [MixtapeMonkey | Childish Gambino - Culdesac](https://mixtapemonkey.com/247/childish-gambino-culdesac) (it’s legit to do so) > > His songs with Chance the Rapper are great too. > > Favorite Song: [https://youtu.be/bVxzPGDJwzg](https://youtu.be/bVxzPGDJwzg) > > They Don’t Like Me: [https://youtu.be/4sIVFreXEoc](https://youtu.be/4sIVFreXEoc) > > Worst Guys: [https://youtu.be/dwUug-ucBLc](https://youtu.be/dwUug-ucBLc) > [@NAF1138](#): > > People LOVE "Awaken, My Love! " which is not a hip hop album, it’s R&B. “Redbone” is a huge hit off of that. It’s not exactly my cuppa but it’s not a bad place to go either. Give you another side of things. And “Because The Internet” is an obvious choice also. Thanks for the recs. I’ll check them out. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/129 "2018-05-14T10:02:03Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The fantasies that hip hop sells are not ubiquitous. There is no analogue in heavy metal for the guns-bitches-money that is so prominent in hip hop. > > In any case, tho, that hardly matters since we’re talking about this Childish Gambino video. Right? Every genre has its fantasy ideal that gets glorified via the art form. I’m enjoying this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/130 "2018-05-14T20:57:07Z")
A bit late to the buzz…I’ve watched and listened a few times now. The video production/directing is superb, hard to take your eyes away. Much is in credit to Glover’s great performance and charisma. The song doesn’t grab me. It seems way short on communicating angst for the credit it’s getting. For comparison, it’s not on the same level as Ohio, Highway 61, or Killing in the Name Of for making me want to push a flaming dumpster down a hill into a police barricade. Not that I do that, but one can dream 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/131 "2018-05-14T21:51:44Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Black people protesting in the street are villified. Black people dancing on stage are praised. It’s a fucked-up dichotomy that has been with us since the country’s founding. That’s not unique to black people. Write a protest song about Vietnam and you’re Bruce Springsteen. Actually protest against Vietnam and get shot by the national guard. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/132 "2018-05-14T22:48:38Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I’m finding it a bit funny and sad that there are some folks (not necessarily here, but elsewhere on the internet) who seem to think the song is an indictment of materialism and superficiality of contemporary hip hop (or black culture in general). I didn’t get that message at all. The name of the song is “This is America”. In America, all of us are about materialism and superficiality and putting on a happy face to please whomever has power over us. It makes sense for Gambino to use trap rap to portray this reality, given his ties to Atlanta and the popularity of the subgenre. But it isn’t just black youth who numb themselves to human depravity. We are all dancing in the midst of the human-caused death and chaos. Maybe it is human nature to block out that which you feel powerless to stop, but that doesn’t keep it from being grotesque. I definitely think the video and music explores some of the troubling interfaces between black society, popular music and dance, and the exploitation of black people. I mean, you literally have a Jim Crow caricature shoot a hooded, bound, black guitar player in the back of the head. There’s gotta be _something_ being said about popular media here! Similarly, the execution of the church choir is clearly a reference to Charleston, but it’s also significant that A) it’s Glover himself who kills them, and B) when he kills them, they’re singing, “Get your money!” in a gospel style. That said, I don’t think it’s an indictment of hip-hop or the larger black community, but rather, the way capitalist media engines consume and recycle black art at the expense of the communities creating it. The message I took from Glover dancing while the world burns behind him isn’t, “What’s wrong with this guy for dancing when everything’s so bad around him?” The message I got was, “What’s wrong with _you_ for focusing on the dancing guy, and not all the bad things behind him?” I think there’s also some significance to the progression of references, from minstrelry to gospel to hip hop, although as I’m not a musical history guy, I’m on much shakier ground here - but the video did make me think about how black expressions of resistance can get co-opted into tools of oppression, the way black spirituals developed to cope with the horrors of slavery got repurposed for minstrel shows post-war. Or the way the financial success of black performers is often used as justification for ignoring messages about the problems facing black communities, like how the NFL protesters are often dismissed as “spoiled millionaires.” And how, in a capitalist society, that sort of financial success is fundamentally inseparable from having a large enough platform to be heard, inherently sabotaging any anti-capitalist or pro-poverty-class message a performer tries to promote. And, ultimately - and probably further afield than Glover intended, but it’s still where he led me - to how the myth of “oppression leads to great art,” is both kinda bullshit (lots of unoppressed people make great art) and a sort of self-serving justification by white elites for historical injustice. “Sure, slavery was a great moral wrong and all… but how about that John Coltrane, huh? Kind makes up for it, doesn’t it?” And tying it all back to, “Holy shit, how fucking brilliant is Donald Glover?” is his use of his own body to inhabit that message. He’s the guy shucking and jiving while he executes a helpless man. He’s the one gunning down the church choir. He’s the guy who has staged the whole video to say, “Look at me, not the shit show behind me! Pay attention to the dancing clown!” He’s aware that there’s an unsolvable ethical contradiction between releasing a message of, “Stop letting the media distract you from serious issues with trivialities,” in the context of promoting his appearance as Lando Calrissian in the new Disney Star Wars movie. But he’s also aware of the practicalities that, by being in the a triviality like the new Star Wars movie, he gives himself a bigger platform for raising consciousness about the serious issues that he wants people to pay attention to. > [@monstro](#): > > [I don’t](http://www.westword.com/music/the-stereotypes-of-violence-in-metal-5707689) [know how](http://theconversation.com/death-metal-is-often-violent-and-misogynist-yet-it-brings-joy-and-empowerment-to-fans-91909) [you can](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/04/metal-band-loses-chicago-gig-over-excessive-use-guns-and-violent-imagery.html) [seriously](http://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/festivals/37-outrageous-stories-about-mtley-cre-b99296502z1-265704851.html) [say this](https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/rb8bnd/death-metal-misogyny). Well, **Bo** did specify “guns-bitches-money” as being unique to hip-hop. What you’ve got there is more “guns-vikings-race war.” ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/133 "2018-05-15T17:54:22Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > …Yes, there is more symbolism in the video than in a typical music video, but, y’know, some of the claims I’ve seen are a stretch. Confederate pants? Maybe, but Confederate shoes? You can’t see his bloody feet, so where does that come from? Oh, there’s a screencap: Yellow loafers. Very CSA. :rolleyes: > > And why is it significant that the kids are dancing in a South African style? The Gwara Gwara is a cool and stylish way to dance, but The Atlantic’s article, “Why the Dancing Makes ‘This Is America’ So Uncomfortable to Watch – The new music video from Childish Gambino weaponizes the viewer’s instinctive bodily empathy” is hogwash! I was an English major for a while and I know how to play the academic game of reading too much into something so you sound cool to the other English majors and baffle everybody else with your bullshit, and that’s just nonsense to make your professor happy. > > The violence was suitably jarring. I caught the Jim Crow pose and liked that it grew out of the dance moves. The gunning down of the choir was a bit ham-handed symbolically. Death riding on a pale horse was more subtle because it was in the background and for just a moment. His climbing on a beater rather than a Lambo – Hey! Beater car symbolizes him being beaten down by The Man. I can do this too! 😉 > > Please don’t get me wrong. It is an entertaining video with more depth than most, though the SNL version substituted wicked cool lighting effects that I still can’t figure out for the violence. But it’s not _Citizen Kane_. Well, it could be; _Citizen Kane_ wasn’t as deep as folks want it to be. I’m with you on all of this. But I’m OK with the obsessives getting caught up in this piece of art. That’s part of the fun of pop culture. This thing could take on a life of its own - similar to how fans of “Blade Runner” or “The Shining” pore over every frame of those films searching for meaning decades later. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/134 "2018-05-15T20:31:31Z")
[Did y’all catch this yet?](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/59qp9k/this-white-comedians-rip-off-of-this-is-america-is-a-pile-of-garbage) I’m sure it’ll be as well-received here as it is anywhere. > [@](#): > > It’s only been a week since Childish Gambino a.k.a. Donald Glover dropped the incredible music video for “This Is America” and already a white woman has attempted to steal his concept and piss all over it. > > I say “attempted” because Canadian YouTube star Nicole Arbour’s “women’s edit” of “This Is America” is a failure in every possible way. I’m annoyed that I even had to watch all three minutes and 54 seconds of it in order to write this piece. The video is embedded in the article; unfortunately you can’t see it without giving it “views”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/135 "2018-05-15T21:04:35Z")
**[Moderating]** > [@monstro](#): > > I’m just sitting here talking about a song. I don’t know how much good luck I need to do that. But I’ll pretend you’re not being a dick and thank you anyway. **monstro** , you know better than this. “I’ll pretend you’re not being a dick” is a pretty clear personal insult. This is a formal Warning for that. That said, **Snowboarder Bo** , “good luck with that” _was_ more dismissive than it really needed to be. Try to dial it back, will you? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/136 "2018-05-15T21:07:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That said, **Snowboarder Bo** , “good luck with that” _was_ more dismissive than it really needed to be. Try to dial it back, will you? Sure. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/137 "2018-05-15T21:54:33Z")
I will do my best to restrain myself, **Chronos**. My opinion about that white woman’s rendition of “This is America”: AW HELL NAW, Karen! Keep your bland ass potato salad to yourself! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/138 "2018-05-16T11:54:43Z")
Because Donald Glover’s long term babymomma is Not Black. See here: [Celebrities, Music, News, Entertainment, TV Shows & Videos | BET](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bet.com/style/living/2018/05/02/donald-glover-s-family.amp.html) Hilarious. Clearly there is enough Silly to go around. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/139 "2018-05-16T14:55:35Z")
[Donald Glover doesn’t want to explain the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLL6gpy00WE&itct=CBMQpDAYASITCMajvNz0gdsCFSjEwQodDGkMPjIHcmVsYXRlZEiqzq_Oyu-_iOMB&app=desktop) Pretty good answer too. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811/140 "2018-05-16T15:49:27Z")
It has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The 32nd song to do so. Sounds impressive. But check the (old) [list](https://www.billboard.com/photos/426225/billboard-hot-100-number-1-song-debuts). Why did hardly anyone do this prior to 2000? No Beatles, no Elvis. And with Drake doing this _twice_ in a row this year, this makes the _third_ straight song to debut at #1. What is going on here? I guess it’s all about streaming/online now. Everything is instant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-video-hip-hop-from-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover/813811.md?page=8)